The use of sensors for assisting users that are impaired in some manner is known. Sensor networks in cars such as that described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0267774 (“Automobile Physiological Monitoring System and Method for Using the same”) prohibit operation of the car by a user experiencing low blood sugar levels in order to prevent accidents/damages.
Phones have been designed for people with certain handicaps or bad eyesight. These phones include big buttons and are often not equipped with many features that demand a high resolution display or more fine grained controllers.
These phones lack features that are common in other phones such as location sensing (GPS for example), music playing and web browsing. They also require entering the numbers (i.e. dialing using fingers) to make a call and a relatively rudimentary phone book.
Other special phones, such as that described in GB 2431 319 (“Phone for Vulnerable Persons”) for example, are also static and cannot be used as a normal phone or smartphone. They are not designed to assist the user in making the choice that is appropriate for the user's current health condition or to take into account a sudden change in his or her condition.
Smartphones typically include a graphical user interface (GUI) for providing a logical and intuitive interface for making calls, texting or browsing the web for example. An increasing amount of information is being displayed on the smartphone interface as the size, functionality and quality of the user interface continues to increase. Icons, color, shape and animation can be used to convey or highlight information on the mobile device.
While increasing functionality is attractive to users, excessive information displayed on the user interface impedes a user from effectively utilizing the device especially when the user is operating in a diminished capacity such as due to illness or the like.
Normal phones and “easy to use” smartphones still require several steps for a user to take in order to make a call even from the phones contact list. This could be a problem when a person is not even coherent enough to know the emergency number such as “112” in some countries or “911” in the United States or not able to see well enough to distinguish between digits or remember what the required call sequence looks like. Typically, a high density of information on the smartphone user interface (“cluttering”) makes the telephone confusing to use when a user is impaired. Small icons could be misinterpreted and pressing a button to start a game for example might make the situation even worse.
There exists a need for a mobile device which facilitates easier operation for a user experiencing diminishing or diminished capacity.